Everything You Need To Know About Breast Cancer Treatment

Symptoms

In most cases, breast cancer does not show symptoms in its early stages, but rather symptoms appear when it grows larger and a lump grows in the breast area.

• The appearance of a solid, painless lump or knot in the breast or under the armpit.
• Change in breast shape or size.
• New, persistent pain in the breast or nipple.
• Peeling, redness, swelling, dimpling, or wrinkling somewhere in the skin of the breast or nipple.
• Inversion of the nipple or changes in the appearance of the nipple (a sunken nipple that was not the case before).
• Discharge from the nipple.

In the event that one of these symptoms appears, you should see a doctor, and these symptoms often occur with other causes than cancer.

Causes and factors

Age: As you age, your chance of getting breast cancer rises.

A personal history of breast cancer: If you've had breast cancer in one breast, you're at increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast.

Having a family history of breast cancer: If your mother, sister, or daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, especially at a young age, your risk of developing breast cancer increases.

Inherited genes that increase the risk of cancer: Certain gene mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer can be passed from parents to children.

Exposure to radiation: If you received radiation therapy to your chest as a child or young adult, your risk of developing breast cancer increases.

Obesity: Breast cancer risk rises with obesity.

Drinking alcohol: Alcohol consumption raises the possibility of breast cancer.

Treatment

Surgery

For most people, surgery is the first step to removing the tumor. An operation called a lumpectomy removes only the cancerous part of the breast. It is sometimes called breast-conserving surgery.

Breast Cancer Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs, which can be given intravenously or orally. The drugs flow through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells in most body areas. Sometimes, chemotherapy can be given directly into the spinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer

Like chemotherapy, these drugs enter the bloodstream and reach all areas of the body, making them useful against cancers that have spread to distant parts of the body. Targeted medications sometimes work even when chemo medications don't.

Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer

Some kinds of breast cancer are affected by hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone. Breast cancer cells have receptors (proteins) that bind to estrogen and progesterone, which help them grow. Treatments that prevent these hormones from binding to these receptors are called hormonal or endocrine therapy. Hormone therapy can reach cancer cells anywhere in the body, not just the breasts.

Immunotherapy for Breast Cancer

Immunotherapy is the use of medications to stimulate a person's immune system to more effectively recognize and destroy cancer cells. Immunotherapy can be used to treat some types of breast cancer.